Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Nestled between Rick's Dessert Diner and Biergarten (two of my Sacramento haunts), is the relatively recent newcomer to the Sacramento bar/dining scene, Midtown's Cantina Alley. They advertise as offering a cantina experience similar to those found in Mexico. I can't speak for all of Mexico, but it definitely did remind me of the cantinas I went to in Guadalajara. Open, airy, great beer, and great food. The biggest difference would be the price. I ordered a good portion of the menu and it added up. That said, everything I tried was pretty fantastic. The ingredients seemed very fresh and care was taken in the plating.  Tostadas de Ceviche - huachinango/red snapper marinated in lime juice, pineapple, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and topped with sliced avocado on crispy tostadas. The tortilla shell was loudly crispy, the fish fresh and cold. This one was one of my favorite items. At the end, there were a few pieces of fish that had fallen down and I happily scooped it...

As a fan of The Walrus and the Carpenter, I was pretty excited to hear that Renee Erickson opened up another tapas restaurant. Located right next door to Walrus, it's a good place to hang out and enjoy some tapas while waiting for your seat. I had Barnacle bookmarked for at least a year before I finally had a chance to get in and try it for myself.  We went in figuring that we could get some of the oysters without having to wait to get into Walrus, but because it was end of summer and the ocean was pretty warm, the oysters were in low supply (ie none available for Barnacle patrons). We weren't too upset though, because we knew there were a few items we wanted to try anyway. On the list we had the serrano jamon, octopus, and sardines. All of them were really good. Honestly, I was not expecting anything less. Great for hanging out pre-dinner with just a friend or two - the space is limited. If you aren't sure what to drink, the bartener is a great resource. Unless yo...